The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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The Gaia M5 mirror undergoing inspection at the premises of Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems (AMOS) in Liege, Belgium, in November 2009.
The 540 × 336 mm mirror was fabricated from sintered silicon carbide (SiC) by Boostec at Bazet near Tarbes, France.
The mirror surface was coated with a layer of silicon carbide using chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The CVD layer of all Gaia mirrors is applied by Schunk Kohlenstofftechnik in Heuchelheim, Germany.